2025 PORSCHE 911 REVIEW: EXACTLY AS ENTHUSIASTS WANT IT TO BE
Porsche enthusiasts were quick to complain calling the new, hybrid version of the 911 sports car inauthentic when it debuted in May.
Two months later, the complaints still haven't died down, but now the company has let the public behind the wheel for the first time.
Porsche offers the 992.2 (992 generation refresh) in seven varieties: Carrera Coupé, Carrera Cabriolet, Carrera GTS Coupé, Carrera 4 GTS Coupé, Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet and Targa 4 GTS.
Usually, the company debuts a generation or generational refresh by debuting a base model first, then works its way up the chain to more performance-focused variants.
For this new 911's debut, Porsche chose a different tack, pushing forward with the reveal of the 911 Carrera GTS T-Hybrid alongside the base model 911 Carrera.
Design changes are minimal, but impactful, for the refresh. Porsche has altered the front fascia, adding vertical, automatic louvres to improve performance and airflow.
The headlights have been reconfigured and improved as well, though the U.S. will continue to lag behind the rest of the world in the type of headlight technology that can be brought to market thanks to Transportation Department regulations.
Designers changed out some interior components as part of the mid-generation refresh, adding in Porsche's latest technology, as seen in the Macan and Taycan already, and moving around the digital driver information screen to be more visible to those behind the wheel.
The biggest story here is the turbocharged, hybrid engine system debut. It's a major step forward for Porsche, and needed to be executed flawlessly to win approval among the company's devoted loyalists. There's good news all around – it's truly excellent.
The company offered up the 911 Carrera GTS Coupé and 911 Carrera Cabriolet for a day of test driving in the Andalusian hills, along the Mediterranean Sea, on Circuito Ascari and in and near Marbella, Spain.
The diverse landscape and on-and-off rain showers put the cars to the test. The first half of the day was spent behind the wheel of the Carrera GTS Coupé. This 911 showed itself off with the start of the engine, and didn't stop impressing.
If there's one thing a 911 has to be, it's drivable. A holistic, connected driver experience isn't just expected, it's demanded. Porsche couldn't go away from that with the hybrid, and it didn't.
The hybrid 911 gets its power from a 3.6-liter engine that is paired with a battery that provides energy to power the turbocharger. The battery is located at the front, where the traditional 12-volt car battery previously was. That 12-volt has been moved toward the rear to help balance the model.
The GTS T-Hybrid, as the company is calling it, has enough power, in the right places and at the right times, to make driving a pure experience, even with the electrified engine many have said they never wanted.
The automatic transmission knows where it should be at all times, in all drive modes, with each of the drive modes performing exactly as one would think, and want, them to.
The GTS trim level affords a level of drive experience refinement befitting its place in the Porsche lineup. The 911 Carrera base model is less refined, but by no means a rough ride.
That said, it's no disappointment. Power allocation from its twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter engine is strong, and the interior doesn't scream "cheap". There's more power now than in the previous version of the model.
Porsche's base model 911 Carrera is not as solid through the corners when pushed as the GTS and its ride is harsher. But still, it's a more comfortable place to be seated than any last-generation Audi RS model.
In the sprinkles, then buckets of rain that covered the circuit, when pushed, the rear-wheel drive 911 Carrera GTS was planted until it suddenly wasn't.
Knowing how it handled on the dry pavement, and acknowledging what a difference proper tires make, it is worth noting that all-wheel drive is well worth the investment if you live anywhere where rainstorms are likely.
That said, the refresh of the 911 is a resounding success, with the car sticking to its driving roots while offering drivers fuel savings and added connected technologies, and without losing its heartwarming burble.
As Porsches lose their analog-ness and move into the digital and fuel-efficient future, it's nice to know that the technology the company is providing is enhancing the user experience rather than degrading it.
Sure, it's easy to say that the modern 911 isn't what the 911 used to be, but that's lazy.
"It's an icon with outstanding performance with an everyday usability and high social acceptance," a Porsche spokesperson told Newsweek during the first drive event. With the new hybrid version, that's even more so the case.
2024-07-30T01:33:51Z